March 7.

The light cavalry battalion led by Cao Xiong caught up with the troops of the right battalion of the intruding army in Ruzhou. The commander of this force was Li Zicheng's confidant general, former battalion general Yuan Zongdi.

The front battalion is one of the five main forces of the Chuang army, with 10,000 soldiers. Stationed in Ruzhou, when the news of the loss of Xiangcheng came back, Li Zicheng immediately asked the former battalion of soldiers and horses to return to Ruzhou to assemble.

"General, the Chu army has taken Jiaxian, and the forward is only ten miles away from us."

Yuan Zongdi, former battalion general. Xie Junyou, General Zuo Guoyi, Tian Hu, General RightGuoyi. The three were the chief and deputy generals of the 10,000-strong former battalion in Ruzhou.

Just a day earlier, the Chu army had left Xiangcheng and continued its advance along the Beiru River towards Luoyang.

In Jiaxian, there is a force of more than 1,000 horses, which belongs to the command of Yuan Zongdi, but it is not the former battalion of soldiers and horses, but the same as Wang Jie's department in Xiangcheng, just a miscellaneous army that came to defect to the army and was recruited.

After receiving Yuan Zongdi's order, they did not retreat immediately, but the Chu army attacked the front, and they hurriedly met the battle. In only half a day's effort, this army of thieves suffered heavy losses and fled in a panic to the northwest.

The light cavalry of the Chu army pursued all the way, and the two sides came to the vicinity of Ruzhou in pursuit.

"How many people are there in the Chu army?"

"Less than a thousand, all of them are light horses and fast horses."

When Tian Hu heard the news, he immediately shouted, "Let me take a battalion of brothers to destroy them." ”

Yuan Zongdi was a little hesitant.

"Where are most of the officers and soldiers?" He asked.

"Zhang Laohu and Cai Lao Pao are still in Xiangcheng." The scout replied.

However, Yuan Zongdi didn't fully believe the scout's words, it was true that they had fallen for the Chu army not long ago. At that time, the scouts of the Chuang army received news one after another, saying that the official army was infighting, the Chu army and the Yu army were fighting, and Zhangshan's Huguang Town and Cai Yuan's Denglai Town were attacking Zuo Liangyu's Henan Town in Yuncheng.

They all believed the news, only to be heard a few days later. Zuo Liangyu has been ordered to be transferred to Guanwai to serve as the chief military officer of Ningyuan, the commander of Guanwai, and the 80,000 Henan Army has been cut and reorganized into a new Kaifeng Town, and sent to Kaifeng for rest and training.

Then the news of the loss of Xiangcheng came back.

If it weren't for the fact that the Chu army didn't immediately move westward after taking Xiangcheng, maybe they would have to suffer even greater losses. But after suffering a loss once, Yuan Zongdi didn't dare to believe the words of the scouts.

The spies of the Chu army are really infiltrated too much. Nowadays, Henan is full of all kinds of rumors, and no one can be sure which is true and which is false.

What if it wasn't just a light cavalry of less than a thousand that came, but the main forces of Huguang and Denglai arrived.

Xie Junyou also proposed to fight a dozen and retreat like this, which really damaged the morale of the army. Even if King Chuang ordered to withdraw, he had to teach these officers and soldiers a lesson.

Yuan Zongdi thought about it, and was unwilling to retreat in such a hurry.

However, in the end, he still put forward a relatively conservative plan, he asked Tian Hu to lead 3,000 cavalry to stay behind to ambush this Chu army, and he and Xie Junyou led another 7,000 soldiers and horses. With the children and soldiers of the old camp and the former battalion, they transported grain and grass together and retreated back to Yiyang first.

"If there are thousands of officers and soldiers, then find a way to destroy them, if the information is wrong and the officers and troops are powerful, then don't fall in love with the war and withdraw immediately." Yuan Zongdi said to Tian Hu.

"General Zheng, don't worry, I, Tian Hu, will definitely not make a mistake."

Beijing.

The epidemic prevention work has been carried out in Beijing in an all-round way. At the same time, dozens of large workshops have also been established in the suburbs of Beijing, specializing in the production and processing of all kinds of goods required by Beijing. These workshops have already begun to recruit workers. Because the scale of the workshops is large, there are many workers in need, and the number of workers in each workshop has reached as much as 100,000.

Once the workers are full, it will greatly alleviate the phenomenon of overpopulation in Beijing, and at the same time, it will also alleviate the shortage of goods in Beijing.

The Epidemic Prevention Bureau and the Urban Management Bureau also officially hung up their signs and began to do things.

Epidemic prevention notices are posted everywhere in Jingshi. The newly established Kyoto newspaper also published a series of articles to publicize epidemic prevention knowledge. A large number of masks were rushed out, and the government distributed them door-to-door, all free of charge.

Officials from the Epidemic Prevention Bureau are organizing the people of the inner and outer cities to clean up the garbage heaps everywhere. Many new public toilets and bathhouses have been built in various streets and alleys. Garbage dumping points.

Many shacks in the outer city were demolished, and many of those cows, ghosts, snakes, gods, and nine streams were forcibly sent to work in factories in the suburbs.

The urban management bureau also officially went to work, patrolling the streets, and whenever there was a person who dumped garbage or defecated in the open, he would be arrested, and then forced to participate in the cleaning work.

Checkpoints have also been set up at various gates of the city, and special doctors are in charge.

All those who enter Beijing must first go through their examination, and those with fever, cough and other symptoms must be immediately sent to isolation camps outside the city for detailed examination and isolation.

Although the atmosphere in Beijing was a little tense, the people tried to avoid staying outside, and the business of major pharmacies was booming, and all kinds of medicines were snapped up.

Even all kinds of food were rushed and hoarded by the people.

Fortunately, although the canal was blocked, the section from Beijing to Tianjin was still smooth, and a large number of materials transported from the sea were first sent to Tianjin, and then to Beijing in a steady stream.

There were quite a few merchants who wanted to take advantage of the fire and hoard the house, but they soon stole chickens and rice.

Jinyiwei dispatched faster than ever, under the instruction of Liu Jun, Liu Qiao led Jinyiwei to go around, and those profiteers in Jingshi who wanted to hoard Juqi were arrested by Jinyiwei, and many profiteers' past behaviors were turned over. Their crimes were quickly convicted, the cases were closed, the property was searched, the shops were sealed, the money and food were confiscated, and then sold in equal shares.

This morning, as soon as Liu Jun arrived at the cabinet of the imperial city, he saw a fold on the table.

This is an excerpt of the right attendant of the Ministry of War, which means that now the Central Plains bandits have not been pacified, and there is a plague rampant, at this time, the Liao army raised troops and contacted the Manchu rebellion, which is really very critical. Feng Yuanbiao therefore proposed that the imperial court negotiate with Wu Sanguizu Dashou and the Manchu Qing to surrender Wu Sangui, resolve the crisis with the Manchus, and restore stability outside the Guan.

Seeing this excerpt, Liu Jun was annoyed.

He immediately went to see Wu Fu, this book can be sent to the cabinet, that is, it first passed through the Department of General Administration, the Secretary of Ceremonies and the Prime Minister's Office, but he didn't see this fold in the Prime Minister's Office.

When Wu Fu saw Liu Jun coming in with an unhappy face, he immediately knew why.

"Motosuke, have you seen this excerpt?"

Wu Fu nodded, "This is Feng Shilang's excerpt, I've seen it." ”

"There is no need to discuss such an excerpt at all, and it is okay to send it back directly, why should it be sent to the cabinet?"

"I think there is some truth in what Feng Shilang said in the excerpt." Wu Fu put down the pen in his hand, sat up straight, and said slowly, "Now the king of the county is also the second assistant, and he is still the minister who cares about his life, so you also know that the situation is difficult now." The imperial court was in financial difficulties, and after several cuts, it still had to pay 40 million a year for military expenditures. This does not include the cost of this war to quell the rebellion, and the household department estimated that in order to complete this battle and win, at least 20 million military expenses will be needed, and if you want to recover Liaoxi, you will need 20 million. The imperial court simply couldn't come up with so much money. ”

"But you can't tolerate adultery!"

"The king of the county, please listen to what I have to say." Wu Fu said, "The king of the county also said before that he would temporarily abandon Songjin Guangning in order to better accumulate strength. Now the situation is the same, since the county king plans to defend first, then simply negotiate with Wu Sangui and recruit him. First eliminate this war, wait until the imperial court has rectified the soldiers and horses in various places, and pacified the civil strife in the Central Plains, and then send troops to recover Liaoxi, and it is not too late to crusade against Wu Sangui. ”

Liu Jun never expected that at this time, Wu Fu would make such a move.

It sounds like a lot of truth on the surface, but it's completely different. Liu Jun retreated to the defense line of the Great Wall, which was an active defensive strategy, allowing the Ming army to be invincible, attack, retreat and defend.

But Wu Fu wanted to surrender Wu Sangui, which was a compromise with the rebels. He even had to think further, Wu Fu's move was most likely aimed at him.

"What conditions does the imperial court plan to give Wu Sangui?"

"Keep the two towns of Jinzhou and Guangning, and Wu Sangui and Zu Dashou will continue to serve as the commander-in-chief."

Liu Jun smiled, "Isn't the past to blame?" ”

"Not for the time being, for the future."

"Hahaha." Liu Jun burst out laughing. He already fully understood what Wu Fu meant, and he also knew that this was definitely not only Wu Fu's meaning.

Wu Sangui raised his banner to rebel, and united with the Qing army to fight under the Great Wall, but the imperial court wanted to pardon them at this time. But he didn't care anymore, they thought that keeping Wu Sangui would threaten him?

Liu Jun felt that keeping Wu Sangui was also beneficial to him.

"Even if Wu Sangui is willing to accept Zhao'an, I'm afraid that Qingyu won't be happy, right?" Liu Jun asked with a smile. This time, the Qing Dynasty came under the banner of borrowing soldiers Wu Sangui and raising the banner of righteousness, which was to take advantage of the fire to rob. If Wu Sangui accepted the imperial court's recruitment and continued to be his chief military officer, what would happen to the Qing Dynasty?

Wu Sangui promised to cede Liaoxi and Liaodong outside the Guanxi to the Manchus afterwards, and the Manchus planned far more than the places outside the Guan.

"As long as Wu Sanguizu accepts Zhao'an, then the Manchus can only withdraw their troops." Wu Fu said confidently.

Liu Jun smiled, "Since Yuanfu insists on it, then I am willing to listen to Yuanfu's plan while retaining my opinion." However, how to recruit Wu Sangui will have to be discussed by Yuan Fu to send a capable person, and I will also put forward a few conditions first. ”

"First, you can recruit the Liao army, but with the daughter river as the boundary, Jinzhou, Xiaolinghe City and other places on the east bank of the river can be handed over to Wu Sangui, but the land west of the river can be returned to Ningyuan Town. Second, the two towns of Jinzhou and Guangning will settle their own food and salary in the future, and the imperial court will not be responsible. ”

"Third, the Liao army is not allowed to cross the river boundary for half a step without an order from the imperial court. Once the line is crossed, the Ning Yuan army will regard it as a rebellion and can be destroyed at any time. ”

"Of course, the most important point is that Wu Sangui is willing to accept Zhao'an and withdraw to the east of the daughter river within a month." (To be continued.) )